Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
During the winter months spotted sandpipers are mostly solitary as is this one while foraging along the edge of an urban pond in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, 8 Feb. 2009.
So where are the spots? They have faded to almost obscurity and will reappear with new feathers come breeding season in the spring. One of the more common sandpipers found along the margins of rivers, ponds and lakes in the Sonoran Desert, but found here only during the winter months. Identifying characteristics are the medium-sized bill, white comma-shaped patch on the shoulders, and teetering movements. Their food is composed mostly of aquatic insects.